While the pub-style restaurant's large menu centers around the quintessentially Minnesotan Juicy Lucy and a wide variety of beers on tap, the other offerings — including poutine, tacos, hotdish and even a weekend brunch — will appeal to those seeking something beyond burgers-and-beer fare.

My guest and I visited Crooked Pint on its opening day, settling in for lunch among business folks and college students. Here's what we found:

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Servers prepare the bar area for service during training Monday, July 16, at Crooked Pint Ale House in Waite Park. (Photo: Dave Schwarz, dschwarz@stcloudtimes.com)

The ambiance is more on the "rustic" side of "rustic chic." Large windows let in a pleasant amount of natural light. While the name — "ale house" — conjures up images of English pubs, Crooked Pint's decor feels more like a country western bar/restaurant (can you say "beer chandelier?") than a traditional tavern, but that's not a bad thing. Crooked Pint's design makes it unique among Central Minnesota's veteran bars and restaurants.

The service is friendly, accommodating and well-paced. I was pleased to learn that our hostess had previously worked at Sammy's. Our server, Michelle, had perfect timing; she neither hovered nor deserted us, and she anticipated needs like soda refills and napkins without fail.

The drinks are centered around Crooked Pint's large beer menu. You'll find craft beers, ciders and domestic standbys alike, plus local favorites like Beaver Island Brewing Co., Third Street Brewhouse, and Lupulin Brewing on tap. There's a great selection of wines (12 whites and 17 reds, though having more than one choice at all is a blessed relief for us wine-drinkers) and a lengthy list of bourbons, scotch and whiskey, too. The cocktail menu hits the highlights — think Moscow mules, whiskey gingers, Bloody Marys and martinis — but also incorporates twists like the Mexican Moonshine Margarita and seasonal cocktails like spiked strawberry lemonade and cucumber mojitos. While we stuck with soda (Hey, work day, how ya doin'?), I'd certainly come back and try something 21+ after hours.

Oh, and a fun little extra is the popcorn machine to the right of the bar, which offers cute bowls of popcorn as an alternative to peanuts or table bread. But you don't have to be a barfly to enjoy it; just ask your server and they'll bring some over.

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A server wears a themed t-shirt during training Monday, July 16, at Crooked Pint Ale House in Waite Park. The bar and restaurant is located in the former Sammy's Pizza location. (Photo: Dave Schwarz, dschwarz@stcloudtimes.com)

The food is rich, hearty, and decidedly American. Again, the menu is massive, so we decided to focus our attention on the dishes the Crooked Pint professed to be their signature items.

Michelle waxed poetic about the restaurant's cheese curds (sourced from Ellsworth, Wis., the "Cheese Curd Capitol of Wisconsin;" "Of the world!" Michelle proclaimed), so we started with the poutine ($12.99). The pile of french fries, deep-fried cheese curds, bacon, onion and beef gravy came out quite literally steaming hot in a massive cast iron skillet.

When I tell you we demolished this poutine, it isn't an exaggeration. There was not a single fry or curd left in that skillet by the time Michelle returned. The first sensory note to hit you when the dish arrives is that heady, umami-laden scent of beef gravy, which is tasty if just a touch salty. I personally could have used more cheese curds over the top, but the curds themselves were large and fried to a perfect golden brown. The bacon-onion-gravy combo amounts to something not unlike French onion soup in flavor profile, and let me tell you, it is addictive.

We then moved on to our Juicy Lucys. It seemed only right to each try one of Crooked Pint's 10 different versionsof this Minnesota classic, seeing as how it is highlighted in nearly all the marketing.

On Thursdays, the Classic Lucy — a no-frills, cheese-stuffed burger, also topped with cheese, served with a whopping half-pound of fries — is $8.99 (compared to the regular price of $10.99), so my dining companion opted for that.

The Classic Lucy, a simple take on Minnesota's most famous burger.(Photo: Alyssa Zaczek, azaczek@stcloudtimes.com)

I chose the Beer Cheese Lucy, which is stuffed with Grain Belt Premium beer cheese sauce, topped with bacon, bistro sauce, haystack onions and habanero jack, served on a pretzel bun, with a watermelon, feta and arugula salad on the side ($13.99).

Both burgers were rich and, if we're being honest, messy as all get out. The "bistro sauce" on my burger (a slightly spicy cousin to Outback Steakhouse's Bloomin' Onion sauce) seemed to have staged a coup, migrating to one side of the sandwich and oozing out the side. My dining companion instantly suffered a Juicy Lucy blow-out, sending hot grease and cheese shrapnel across the table, and I think more of my beer cheese ended up on my plate and soaked into my pretzel bun than in my mouth. But if you're not plowing through reams of napkins while eating a Lucy, you're not getting the full experience, am I right?

Mess aside, the burgers are well-crafted, and it comes out in the taste. The Beer Cheese Lucy was so rich that, after all that poutine, I could only really manage five or six bites. That said, the seasonal Watermelon Feta Salad I ordered as a side ended up making the perfect complement to the heaviness of the burger — there's no rich food crises on the planet that spicy arugula and sweet, crisp fruit can't fix!

We would have loved to end our meal with the Chocolate Chip Lucy dessert, a warm chocolate chunk cookie stuffed with cream cheese and topped with ice cream, but at that point, we were the ones who were stuffed.

The price is about what you'd expect for a franchise restaurant serving this style of food, but I'd go so far as to say it's downright reasonable based on the sheer amount of food you receive. Yes, our poutine was pricey, but it could have fed four people comfortably. Some of the tricked-out Lucys will cost you $14, but the variety is worth it. For two people at lunch, drinking only soda, we paid just over $45 before tip.

The takeaway: Hanging its proverbial hat on the Juicy Lucy is a smart move by Crooked Pint Ale House as it moves into an area inundated with burger 'n beer joints; it instantly makes the establishment stand out from the pack. With a menu that blends Minnesota sensibility and off-beat options, Crooked Pint is a fresh take on an otherwise tired concept. Yes, you can chow down on an explosively delicious burger, fries and craft brew if that's your pleasure, but you can have an expertly balanced salad or a fish taco, too. There are even vegetarian and kids' options.

Crooked Pint Ale House is the new kid on the block, boasting a relaxed vibe and fare that will be familiar to the average Central Minnesotan. Crooked Pint could appeal to just about everyone, from families with members of all ages to friends seeking a night out. You (and your pocket book) will be treated well, you'll drink well, and you'll eat well — what more could you ask for?

The above is the opinion of Times reporter Alyssa Zaczek. Follow Alyssa on Twitter: @sctimesalyssa, email her at azaczek@stcloudtimes.com, or call her at (320) 255-8761.